JanniCash

You can start with one or the other Tutorial on making custom maps. After a while you either get hooked and join the Map Authors Yahoo group, or you get frustrated, kick the dog and spend $100+ on maps that are worse quality than you could produce yourself (if you could only figure out how). You are allowed to do this without kicking your dog, but you have at least to shout some profanity at your spouse or (in case you have none) your neighbor. Or you can check on Mapcenter if someone who got hooked earlier already made free maps for the area you're interested in. Jan

I attached a stock GPSMAP 60 series dashboard mount to the handlebars of my new ride: http://www.jannicash.info/blog/index.php?/...e-new-ride.html At certain speeds (resonancy?) the GPS is bobbing a little bit, but not so much that it would become useless. Since the normal handlebar mount that attaches to a tube doesn't even have that adjustable arm in the middle I assume it would work like a charm (if you have a space on your handlebars where that can be attached). Jan

Now we're on the same page. Your method works. The problem is that one never knows how many of those extra route points are needed to get the unit to do what you want. That is annoying, especially if you know that the data is still there! Just create any small route in MapSource and save it as GPX file. Look at it with notepad and you'll see that it saved dozens of extra gpxx:rtp objects. Those are the route points, non-autorouting capable units like the Legend or eMap are using. The autorouting units like VistaCS (had one of those too) and my current 60CSx simply ignore these points. Jan

It sounds like you want the behaviour of a non-routing unit, like the Legend. There is a little checkbox "Include route calculation data" on the maps tab. Maybe you can force a routing unit to do what you want by not including that data. Agreed. Jan What??? I am confused. "No Route Calculation" = "Off Road" Look guys, I don't think you have read the earlier post clearly. When you send a route to a GPS, it sends ONLY waypoints of all marked points along the route. That is it. It CAN NOT SEND ROAD INFORMATION. The reason it CAN NOT do this is there is no way to ensure that the GPSr has the same road data as the map you are viewing in Mapsource. You might think that, but you're quite wrong. I take it you never had an eTrex Legend. When you plan a route for that in MetroGuide 6, MapSource will insert a lot of route points (seems like one for every intersection). What happens then when you "navigate" that route is that it shows it like it looked on the PC. It will lead you from turn to turn, even showing you "upcoming turn" and switches to the next turn after you passed one. All that matches precisely the route as it was planned on the PC. As I understood the original question, that is exactly what is wanted. Drawback is of course if you miss a turn, it can't reroute and can only show you how far away and in which direction the next route point is. The best solution would be to have a setting that dumbs the unit down to the navigation mode of a Legend. Jan

Oh, you're right. Forgot about that basemap. Jan

It sounds like you want the behaviour of a non-routing unit, like the Legend. There is a little checkbox "Include route calculation data" on the maps tab. Maybe you can force a routing unit to do what you want by not including that data. Agreed. Jan

How fast the charging is done depends on the charger. If it is a good idea to do it has to do with the batteries. The temperature spike at the end of the charge, when the battery gets full, comes from hydrogen+oxygen recombination. 1 hour and 15 minute chargers usually recognize that with temperature sensors, but the "damage" has already been done. It now depends on the battery if it can handle the amount of overcharge or if it has to let go of the gases through the safety valve. The latter case means permanent loss of capacity. So if the battery can't handle this charging method, it'll soon be ready for recycling. Jan

Uh-oh ... here we go ... ... at least you're even now because she spent money too! Weeping wallet ... pffft ... take it as a serious sign of love and affection that she doesn't want you to feel guilty any more Or maybe she wanted that piano all the time, just waited patiently for the moment where you couldn't possibly say anything any more. Is it one of these outrageous expensive Yamaha E-Pianos that even emulate the full natural response of a real one? They are gorgeous and worth every single cent ... and you never have to get them tuned, you know? Jan

The batteries will neither charge nor drain. So when you buy your next charger, make sure that it is a rapid charger (1 hour) and has a cigarette lighter option as well. Jan

Never give up, never surrender ... On many pages (like map, compass and trip-computer) the Enter button has no function. Once you've turned on the light and got rid of the slider however it will turn it on to that level again without a slider. Jan

That's the way how I lost my VistaCS. Well, not riding (my scooter) but walking from the parking lot to the apartment ... guess I made one neighbor really happy that day. On the other hand ... it made me really happy too because I had an "excuse" to buy a 60CSx ... needed a replacement, didn't I? I love my wife, she is so "understanding" Jan

Yippeee ... time to move on and kick (fat) a** fighting obesity ... since airlines use the "fuel cost" argument to charge for baggage in excess of some arbitrary number, I demand that they charge based on total "cargo" weight (passenger plus baggage). Not that I could afford first class that way (I'm 6'1'' and just inside the BMI for my age group), but it would make sense at least. Oh ... topic ... yes, Ma'am ... my 60CSx works just fine with a Motorola 12V-car-outlet-to-USB cable. Seldom use it that way since it's usually hanging off my belt or is bungee-strapped to the handlebars of my scooter. Anyhow, I conclude that any cigarette-lighter-to-USB-power cable will do just fine. You'll find one at your local cellphone outlet. Dont forget to pick up spare belt clips while at it. Jan

Not True at all....When you create a map in MapEdit, check the map option to make the map transparent. I have created contour plots for 6 different 7.5 usgs quads in New York and they overlay City Select with no problem. I also have many of the streams which City Select has missing loaded in the same fashion. You can see both maps at the same time, and toggle back and forth between both if you desire, or leave both on at the same time. They are selectable and loadable as seperate entities in Mapsource, just like any other Garmin product. Read again. I said "MapSource" cannot. Sure does the GPS display them overlayed just fine. But you tell me how to display those transparent maps over CitySelect in MapSource on the PC. Jan

Never done that to a GPS receiver, but I did perform that sort of operation on a HP48G calculator with success. It means soldering SMD chips ... the ones that solder flat onto the PCB instead of having holes for the pins. Definitely nothing for the inexperienced and you better have a 5W soldering needle ... your standard 30+W household thing will possibly fry those chips. Jan

cGPSmapper is a commandline utility, so you do that from the "Command Prompt" in the directory where the files are. Jan

... just silly ... every single post ... this one included

Oh...kay! Let's take it step by step. Apparently myotis and me work/install very similar - that'll help. 1) You now have a .IMG file that (you hope) contains a map. Good. What you need next is a preview img. Follow myotis' instructions from his post of yesterday 7:10 PM, where he showed you how to create a test_pv.img &c. 2) Assuming you even name yours test_pv, next you'd chose a location where to move all the files (that is your current .img, the test_pv.img and the test_pv.tdb created in step 1). I assume in the next step that you are moving this all to a newly created folder C:\Garmin\CustomMaps ... which is where I keep all that. 3) Use Notepad to create a mytrails.reg file with the following content: REGEDIT4 [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Garmin\MapSource\Products\My Trails] "LOC"="C:\\Garmin\\CustomMaps\\" "BMAP"="C:\\Garmin\\CustomMaps\\test_pv.img" "TDB"="C:\\Garmin\\CustomMaps\\test_pv.tdb" 4) Double click on that mytrails.reg and it will install these registry keys. 5) Fire up Mapsource and you will be able to select "My Trails" as a mapset. Note that MapSource cannot display multiple maps at the same time. So you cannot see your trails overlayed on top of CitySelect or the like. You now select all the maps from all the map sets you like, so that they are pink, and download to GPS. Done. Jan

I don't understand what you are asking ? We have uploaded the maps to our PC and then unlocked them. We ten highlighted the map sections we wanted & then sent it to our GPS via the PC. The GPS states it can not unlock the maps .......even though we have already unlocked them.. at least on our PC. Thanks. Datfly He means that you have to unlock the maps for each specific unit. Apparently you did not unlock the maps for the unit you are using now. Usually the unlock codes you get with any Mapsource product are good for 2 different units. Be carefull, because once you've used them for two units, there is no way back. So don't use an unlock code for a friends unit. Check out the unlock wizzard (Mapsource->Utilities->UnlockMaps...) and first try to reinstall all existing codes from your Garmin account. If that doesn't contain your (new?) unit, you might have one code left to unlock it. Jan

I had a VistaCS. Lost it and upgraded to a 60CSx. Got used to the different button layout in no time and IMO the SiRF chipset alone is worth the price difference. Jan

Don't hold your breath. This is a task that can be accomplished by editing the .reg (created by cGPSmapper) with notepad and then throwing it into regedit. As you said, it is a one-time thing. A program for that would IMO be total overkill. Once the registry entries are done, there is a ton that can be automated. I keep the sources for my maps in separate directories per map and have a bunch of .bat and .tcl scripts that put everything together, create the preview maps and move all the .img files into place. Jan PS: I've started uploading maps to mapcenter. Feel free to comment on them.

I'm not a real world pilot, but the GPSr's modelled in MS Flight Simulator are Garmins, and they all have runway data including (where available) GPS approach vectors, ILS frequencies and headings, hold patterns, airspace and restricted area info &c. A handheld unit designed for hiking and road navigation wouldn't be a match for that. Jan

I don't think the basemap is a waste, especially not on Garmins. I was surprised by the detail of the basemap on my eXplorist 400 because it had some local roads. It was good for getting my bearings before I bought DirectRoute. Unfortunately, Magellan's basemap is not routable. To create a route from Chicago to Los Angeles, I'd have to load the detail maps for every place in between. On the other hand, Garmin's basemap is routable. I could load detail maps for the Chicago area, rely on the basemap's interstates and US highways in between, since I probably wouldn't stray from them, then load the detail maps for LA so I can get directions to my destination based on the surface streets. We're talking about Garmin's *x units here ... I have a 1G MicroSD in the unit and the basemap never shows anyway. For my previous units (Legend and VistaCS), I'd agree for exactly the example you gave. But it doesn't apply to the 60CSx I'm using now. Jan

Sounds like "cacheturbating" to me. Jan

Seriously guys, who cares for the basemap? I'd be happy if I could delete that useless memory hog to have more waypoint and tracklog space. Jan

You can't, since the whole mapset needs to be "compiled" into one single file. You can use a USB 2.0 card reader to speed up the loading itself, but you'll still have to wait for the compilation and index build. I suggest playing around with a very small mapset until you have the result you want, then reload the whole thing once. Jan